Front pillar for automobile

ABSTRACT

A front pillar for an automobile includes an outer panel, an inner panel, and a hollow member disposed between the outer and inner panels. Outer flanges of the outer and inner panels are overlapped with each other to form a closed void section and a seal attachment section. The seal attachment section includes a rear section reinforcing member and a front section reinforcing member sandwiched between the outer flanges of the outer and inner panels in a rear end section and a front end section, respectively, of the front pillar, and a gap channel formed to communicate with the closed void section by partially separating the outer flanges of the outer and inner panels at a central section of the front pillar. The reinforcing members are joined to an outer wall section of the hollow member.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a front pillar for an automobile and,more particularly, to an automobile front pillar having a hollow memberprovided with an outer panel.

BACKGROUND ART

Left and right front pillars in an automobile are located in a frontsection of the automobile, and are provided in order to attach awindshield (i.e., a windscreen). Commonly, a front pillar is made as amember having a closed cross section by welding together an outer paneland an inner panel in an overlapping manner. A front pillar of suchdescription is known from Patent Literature 1. Each of the outer paneland the inner panel requires a flange for joining the other. The flangeprojects outwards from the front pillar. Therefore, the size of theflange increases.

In response, front pillar development has been in progress in recentyears. A front pillar using a hollow member integrally formed byhydroforming is known from Patent Literature 2. The front pillar knownfrom Patent Literature 2 comprises the hollow member and an outer panel.The hollow member comprises a pipe formed by hydroforming. The outerpanel is provided so as to cover a surface of the hollow member on theoutside in the vehicle width direction, and joined. The front pillarknown from Patent Literature is smaller than a common front pillardescribed further above. The visibility range forward of a vehicle bodyfrom a passenger compartment (i.e., the visual field) is accordinglylarger.

Depending on the model of the automobile, a front pillar may have acurved shape, the entirety of which projects to an outside of a vehiclebody, from the viewpoint of design. Even in an instance in which acurved front pillar is used, it is preferable that the pillar exhibits astiffness equivalent to an instance in which a linear front pillar isused. Increasing the wall thickness or the diameter of the hollow memberis one possible method for achieving this. However, there remains thepossibility that the weight of the front pillar will increase. There isalso a possibility that an increase in the diameter of the hollow memberwill result in a correspondingly narrower field of view from thepassenger compartment.

PRIOR ART REFERENCES Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open    Publication No. H03-44051-   Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open    Publication No. 2006-182079

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem Sought to be Solved by the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique forincreasing the stiffness of a front pillar while minimizing the weightof the front pillar.

Means for Solving the Problem

According to the present invention, there is provided a front pillar foran automobile, which front pillar comprises: a hollow member; an outerpanel; and an inner panel, wherein the hollow member has a curved shapeprotruding in its entirety to outside of a vehicle body, the outer panelis provided to a wall section of the hollow member, the wall sectionbeing on a vehicle exterior side, and the inner panel is formed so as tolie along a wall section of the hollow member, the wall section being ona passenger compartment side, and the inner panel is provided to thewall section on the passenger compartment side.

Preferably, the inner panel has a restricting concave section, and therestricting concave section fits onto a part of the hollow member,thereby restricting a relative displacement of the hollow member in avehicle width direction relative to the inner panel.

Preferably, each of the outer panel and the inner panel has a firstflange for overlapping the other. Each of the first flanges in a stateof overlapping the other also functions as a seal attachment section forattaching a sealing material. The sealing material is a member capableof sealing a side door when the side door is in a state of being closedon the vehicle body.

Preferably, each of the outer panel and the inner panel has a secondflange provided to a portion opposite each of the respective firstflanges in relation to the hollow member. The second flange of the outerpanel and the second flange of the inner panel are provided separatelyto the hollow member.

Preferably, the first flange of the outer panel and the first flange ofthe inner panel overlap each other so that joining using direct spotwelding is possible; the second flange of the outer panel overlaps thehollow member so that joining using indirect spot welding from an outerpanel side is possible; and the second flange of the inner paneloverlaps the hollow member so that joining using MIG welding (metalinert gas welding) is possible.

Preferably, an intermediate portion of the inner panel between the firstflange and the second flange overlaps the hollow member so that joiningusing MIG welding is possible.

Preferably, the outer panel has a roof-joining outer flange section thatprotrudes further towards a passenger compartment relative to the hollowmember; the hollow member has a roof-joining extended flange sectionthat protrudes towards the passenger compartment along the roof-joiningouter flange section; and the roof-joining extended flange section andthe roof-joining outer flange section overlap a flange section of a roofso that joining by direct spot welding is possible.

More preferably, each of the inner panel and the outer panel has aflange overlapping and joined by direct spot welding to a portion of thehollow member that is located opposite the roof.

More preferably, the front pillar further comprises a nut into which abolt can be screwed from the passenger compartment side, the nutpositioned between the hollow member and the inner panel. The nutcomprises a plate section for joining to the inner panel, and a nutsection that is smaller than the plate section. The nut section projectstowards an inside of the hollow member through a nut relief hole sectionformed on the hollow member.

More preferably, the nut relief hole section is oriented at an inclinerelative to a center line of the nut section.

Preferably, each of the outer panel and the inner panel has a firstflange and a second flange. Each of the respective second flanges isjoined separately to the hollow member. Each of the first flanges ispositioned so as to face the other. A reinforcing member is sandwichedbetween and joined to the first flanges in a front end section and arear end section of the front pillar. Between the front end section andthe rear end section, each of the first flanges is overlapped with theother so that a sealing material for sealing the side door can beattached, the first flanges are partially provided with a gaptherebetween, and each of the first flanges is joined to the other at aportion where the gap is not present, wherein the gap is incommunication with a closed void section enclosed by the hollow member,the outer panel, and the inner panel.

More preferably, the gap comprises a concave section formed on a flangesurface of at least one of the first flanges.

More preferably, each of the front and rear reinforcing members is alsojoined to the hollow member within the void section.

More preferably, the outer panel has a glass attachment flange sectionthat is overlapped with and joined to an upper surface of the hollowmember. The glass attachment flange section is formed in a flat plateshape on which a windshield can be attached. A terminal section of thehollow member in the longitudinal direction is reinforced by areinforcing member. The reinforcing member has a joint portion that isoverlapped with and joined to the upper surface of the hollow member inthe terminal section. The joint portion and the upper surface of theterminal section are downwardly separated from the glass attachmentflange section.

More preferably, the terminal section is sandwiched between, and joinedto, the reinforcing member and the inner panel.

More preferably, a thickness of the hollow member and a thickness of thereinforcing member are of a magnitude suited for joining using MIGwelding.

Preferably, the inner panel has, on a lower section, a stepped beadbulging towards the passenger compartment and an opening sectionpenetrating in the vehicle width direction. The stepped bead has aplurality of fold sections formed on the inner panel so as to extendtowards a rear section of the vehicle body along the hollow member. Theopening section is a through-hole through which a flexible linear memberdrawn out from an interior of the hollow member can be drawn towards thepassenger compartment. The through-hole is positioned so as to span atleast a part of the fold sections, whereby an upper half portion of thethrough-hole is positioned on a section corresponding to the steppedbead.

More preferably, the inner panel has a stepped section forreinforcement, surrounding a rim of the opening section.

More preferably, the stepped bead is configured so that a front endsection bulges maximally from the inner panel, and the degree of bulginggradually decreases towards the rear section of the vehicle body.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, the hollow member has a curvedshape, the entirety of which projects to the outside of the vehiclebody. On the hollow member, an inner panel is overlapped with and joinedto the wall section on the passenger compartment side. In other words,the hollow member is reinforced by the inner panel. The hollow memberwith increased stiffness can transmit impact load acting on the innerpanel towards the rear section of the vehicle body in an efficientmanner. There is no need to increase the thickness or the wall thicknessof the hollow member in order to increase the stiffness of the hollowmember. An increase in the weight of the front pillar can be minimized,and the size of the front pillar can be reduced. Reducing the size ofthe front pillar expands the visual field from the passengercompartment.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the restricting concavesection is fitted onto a part of the hollow member, thereby making itpossible to restrict a relative displacement of the hollow member in thevehicle width direction relative to the inner panel. Therefore, thehollow member is reinforced by the inner panel. As a result, thestiffness of the hollow member can be increased. Therefore, impact loadacting on the front end of the hollow member can be transmitted towardsthe rear section of the vehicle body in an efficient manner.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the first flange of theouter panel and the first flange of the inner panel overlap each otherin the vicinity of the lower section of the hollow member. The stiffnessof the front pillar therefore increases. It is also possible for therespective first flanges to form a rim section of a door opening. Thesealing material for sealing the door opening can be attached to the rimsection. In other words, the rim section also functions as the sealattachment section. The sealing material can be adequately supported bythe seal attachment section having a high stiffness.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, neither of the secondflanges overlaps the other, making it possible to reduce the size ofeach of the outer panel and the inner panel by a corresponding amount.Therefore, the size and the weight of the front pillar can be reduced.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, each of the firstflange of the outer panel and the first flange of the inner panel can beoverlapped with the other and joined by direct spot welding. The secondflange of the outer panel can be joined to the hollow member by indirectspot welding from the outer panel side. The second flange of the innerpanel can be joined to the hollow member by MIG welding. Welding meanssuitable for the configuration of each joint section can be employed asdescribed above, and a step for joining by welding can be performed inan efficient manner; therefore, the capacity for mass production of thefront pillar can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the intermediateportion of the inner panel between the first flange and the secondflange can be joined to the hollow member by MIG welding. Both thesecond flange and the intermediate portion of the inner panel is joinedto the hollow member, thereby making it possible to further increase thestiffness of the hollow member.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, three flanges; namely,the roof-joining extended flange section, the roof-joining outer flangesection, and the flange section of the roof, can be overlapped with eachother and joined by direct spot welding. Therefore, despite a hollowmember being used for the front pillar, the specifications of the spotwelding equipment can be substantially equivalent to those requiredconventionally, and it becomes possible to continue reducing the size ofspot welding equipment. Also, even when a hollow member is used, weldingconditions required for spot welding are substantially identical tothose required conventionally, and spot welding can be readilyperformed. Only the roof-joining outer flange section and theroof-joining extended flange section for attaching the flange section ofthe roof protrude towards the passenger compartment. There is no need toprovide a roof-joining outer flange section and a roof-joining extendedflange section to a portion of the front pillar onto which thewindshield is attached. Therefore, it is possible to provide an adequatevisibility range forward of the vehicle body from the passengercompartment through the windshield.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the outer panel and theinner panel are joined by overlapping respective flanges and applyingdirect spot welding at a position opposite the roof relative to thehollow member. Therefore, even though a hollow member is used, it ispossible to employ spot welding, as conventionally employed, whenjoining the inner panel and the outer panel.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the nut is providedbetween the hollow member and the inner panel. The nut comprises theplate section that joins the inner panel, and the nut section that issmaller than the plate section. The nut section extends to the interiorof the hollow member through a nut relief hole section formed on thehollow member. Therefore, even though a nut is provided between thehollow member and the inner panel, a space between the hollow member andthe inner panel can be made narrower. As a result, the front pillar canbe made thinner. Also, since the nut section is smaller than the platesection, the size of the nut relief hole can be made smaller by acorresponding amount.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the nut relief holesection is oriented at an incline relative to the center line of the nutsection. Therefore, even when a plate nut is attached in advance whenthe inner panel is attached, an adequate space between the plate nut andthe nut relief hole section can readily be provided, and the size of thenut relief hole section can be further reduced.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the hollow member, theouter panel, and the inner panel are combined to form a closed spacesection. A gap in communication with the space section is partiallyprovided between each of the first flanges. The gap functions as achannel used when performing surface treatment on the front pillar usingan electrodeposition liquid or another coating liquid. The coatingliquid is caused to flow from the gap into the space section, therebymaking it possible to adequately coat a wall surface of the front pillarinside the space section. Also, since a respective portion of each ofthe first flanges where the gap is not present is joined to the other,the first flanges can be imparted with adequate stiffness even thoughthe gap is provided. As a result, adequate stiffness of the front pillarcan be obtained. Also, the reinforcing member is provided to the frontend section and the rear end section of the front pillar. Each of thereinforcing members is sandwiched between and joined to each of thefirst flanges. Therefore, the front end section and the rear end sectionof the front pillar, which require higher stiffness than an intermediatesection, can be reinforced by the reinforcing member. Therefore, thehollow member having a small diameter and a small wall thickness can beused to make the front pillar extremely compact.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the gap comprises aconcave section formed on the flange surface of at least one of thefirst flanges. Since the concave section is formed on the flangesurface, the concave section can be simultaneously formed during plasticforming of the first flange. Therefore, the gap can be provided to theflange surface with extreme ease. It is also possible to readily providea large number of gaps across a wide range on the flange surface.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the reinforcing membersandwiched by and joined to each of the first flanges and is also joinedto the hollow member. Therefore, the front end section and the rear endsection of the hollow member can be reinforced by both the inner paneland the reinforcing member. The stiffness of the hollow member isincreased, and the stiffness of the front pillar can therefore befurther increased.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the reinforcing memberfor reinforcing each of the terminal sections of the hollow member has ajoint portion for overlapping with and joining to the upper surface ofeach of the terminal sections. The joint portion and the upper surfaceof each of the terminal sections are downwardly separated from the glassattachment flange section, and therefore do not interfere with the glassattachment flange section. Therefore, the glass attachment flangesection can be given a flat configuration overall. The windshield can bereadily and reliably attached to the flat glass attachment section usingan adhesive or another common method of attachment, and the state of theattachment can be maintained to a sufficient degree.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the terminal section issandwiched by and joined to the reinforcing member and the inner panel,and the joint strength is therefore increased.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, each of the thicknessof the hollow member and the thickness of the reinforcing member is setto a size that is suitable for joining by MIG welding. Therefore, thehollow member and the reinforcing member can be sufficiently joined, andthe joint strength can be increased.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the inner panel has astepped bead bulging towards the passenger compartment, and thestiffness of the inner panel thereby increases. As a result, the frontpillar has high stiffness. Also, the opening section is positioned so asto span at least a part of the fold sections, and the upper half portionof the opening section is thereby positioned on a section correspondingto the stepped bead. Therefore, the opening section is formed so as tohave a stepped shape that matches a gradation of the stepped bead.Therefore, the flexible linear member drawn out from the interior of thehollow member can be readily drawn towards the passenger compartmentthrough the opening section.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the rim of the openingsection is surrounded by the stepped section for reinforcement.Therefore, the inner panel has a large stiffness around the rim.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the degree to which thestepped bead bulges from the inner panel is larger at the front endsection and gradually decreases towards the rear section of the vehiclebody. Therefore, impact load acting on the front section of the vehiclebody can be transmitted to the hollow member through the stepped bead inan efficient manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body having left andright front pillars according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 1, as seen fromabove on the passenger compartment side;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a curved state of the right front pillarof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view showing on an enlarged scale section 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an example mode of welding of the frontpillar of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating an impact load acting on theright pillar of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view showing left and right pillars according to a secondembodiment of the present embodiment, as seen from the passengercompartment side;

FIG. 9 is a view showing on an enlarged scale section 9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view showing a region around a lower section ofthe right front pillar of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a process of pulling a drain hoseout of a hollow member of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing a process of guiding the drain hoseof FIG. 13 towards an opening section;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a process of pulling the drain hoseof FIG. 14 out of the opening section;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view illustrating an impact load acting on anautomobile according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view illustrating an impact load acting on theright front pillar of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body having left andright front pillars according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 19 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 18, as seenfrom outside a vehicle width direction;

FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 19, as seenfrom a passenger compartment side;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22-22 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 24 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 22, as seen inthe direction of arrow 24;

FIG. 25 is a view showing on an enlarged scale section 25 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a view showing on an enlarged scale section 26 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 27-27 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 28-28 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 29 is a view showing on an enlarged scale section 29 of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 30-30 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view a region around an airbag support sectionof the right front pillar of FIG. 28;

FIG. 32 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 22, as seen inthe direction of arrow 32;

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33-33 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 34-34 of FIG. 21;

FIG. 35 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 21, as seen inthe direction of arrow 35;

FIG. 36 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 35 with anouter panel removed; and

FIG. 37 is a view showing the right front pillar of FIG. 36, as seen inthe direction of arrow 37.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention are describedbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

A front pillar for an automobile according to a first embodiment willfirst be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 7. FIG. 1 shows afront section of a vehicle body 10 of an automobile Am. The frontsection of the vehicle body 10 is a monocoque body, mainly comprising afront bulkhead 11, left and right front side frames 12, 12, left andright upper frames 13, 13, left and right upper side frames 14, 14, afront bumper beam 15, left and right front pillars 17, 18, left andright roof side rails 21, 21, and a roof 22.

The front bulkhead 11 is located at a front end surface of the vehiclebody 10, and is capable of supporting a radiator (not shown). Each ofthe left and right front side frames 12, 12 extends rearwards from leftand right lower end sections of the front bulkhead 11, respectively.Each of the left and right upper frames 13, 13 extends rearwards andupwards from the left and right lower end sections of the front bulkhead11, respectively. Each of the upper frames 13, 13 is located furtheroutward in the vehicle width direction of, and above, the left and rightfront side frames 12, 12 respectively. Each of the left and right upperside frames 14, 14 extends rearwards from left and right end sections ofthe front bulkhead 11 respectively, and joins the left and right upperframes 13, 13 respectively. The front bumper beam 15 bridges betweenrespective front ends of the left and right front side frames 12, 12.

Each of the left and right front pillars 17, 18 extends at an inclinerearwards and upwards from a rear end of the left and right upper frames13, 13 respectively, and forms a part of a door opening 23 that isopened or closed by a side door (not shown). A windshield (i.e., awindscreen), not shown in FIG. 1, is mounted between the left and rightfront pillars 17, 18. Each of the left and right roof side rails 21, 21extends rearwards from a rear end of each of the left and right frontpillars 17, 18 respectively. The roof 22 is supported by the left andright roof side rails 21, 21.

The left and right front pillars 17, 18 are members that are bilaterallysymmetrical to each other. A description will be given hereafter for theright front pillar 18 only; a description for the left front pillar 17will be omitted. The right front pillar 18 will hereafter be referred tosimply as the front pillar 18.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the front pillar 18 as viewed from a side facing apassenger compartment 34 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The front pillar 18comprises a hollow member 25, an outer panel 28, and an inner panel 29.The hollow member 25 is a long material that functions as a corematerial of the front pillar 18, and a front end is joined to a rear endsection 13 a of the right upper arm 13 shown in FIG. 1. The hollowmember 25 is made from, for example, a steel material, and is integrallyformed by hydroforming so as to have a substantially rectangular closedcross-section. In other words, the hollow member 25 is made of arectangular pipe. In the first embodiment, substantially rectangularrefers to a rectangle, a square, or another quadrilateral.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front pillar 18 has a curved shape, the entiretyof which projects to an outside of the vehicle body 10 (arrow Ou).Therefore, each of the hollow member 25, the outer panel 28, and theinner panel 29 has a curved shape, the entirety of which projects to theoutside of the vehicle body 10. Specifically, the overall shape of thefront pillar 18 is a curve that projects upward, and outward in thevehicle width direction, of the vehicle body 10.

A straight line 31 passing through the front end 18 a and a rear end 18b of the front pillar 18 shall be referred to as a reference line 31.When the vehicle body 10 is viewed from the vehicle width direction, aprofile line 32 of the front pillar 18 curving upwards projects upwardof the vehicle body 10 from the reference line 31 by a distance L1. Whenthe vehicle body 10 is viewed from above, a profile line 33 of the frontpillar 18 curving outward in the vehicle width direction projectsoutward in the vehicle width direction from the reference line 31 by adistance L2.

As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the hollow member 25 is formed by foursides, namely four wall sections 35 through 38, so as to have arectangular cross section. The four wall sections 35 through 38 are anouter upper wall section 35 located at a top, an outer side wall section36 located on an outside in the vehicle width direction, an inner lowerwall section 37 located at a bottom, and an inner side wall section 38located on an inside in the vehicle width direction. The outer upperwall section 35 and the outer side wall section 36 form a vehicleexterior-side wall section 26 (i.e., a wall section 26 on a vehicleexterior side) that is substantially L-shaped in cross section. Thevehicle exterior-side wall section 26 is positioned on the hollow member25 towards an exterior of the vehicle body 10. The inner lower wallsection 37 and the inner side wall section 38 form a passengercompartment-side wall section 27 (i.e., a wall section 27 on a passengercompartment 34 side) that is substantially L-shaped in cross section.The passenger compartment-side wall section 27 is positioned on thehollow member 25 towards an interior of the vehicle body 10 (i.e.,towards the passenger compartment 34).

As described above, the hollow member 25 has a curved shape, theentirety of which projects to the outside of the vehicle body 10. As aresult, the vehicle exterior-side wall section 26 has a curved shape,the entirety of which projects to the outside of the vehicle body 10(i.e., a convex curved shape). The passenger compartment-side wallsection 27, positioned towards the passenger compartment 34, has acurved shape, the entirety of which is recessed towards the outside ofthe vehicle body 10 (i.e., a concave curved shape).

Each of the outer panel 28 and the inner panel 29 is a long materialextending along the hollow member 25, and is provided to the hollowmember 25. More specifically, the outer panel 28 is provided to thevehicle exterior-side wall section 26, and the inner panel 29 isprovided to the passenger compartment-side wall section 27.

The outer panel 28 is, for example, a folded molded article made of asteel plate, and comprises an outer panel body 41, a first outer flange42, and a second outer flange 43. The outer panel body 41 has asubstantially U-shaped cross section, opens towards the vehicleexterior-side wall section 26, and has the first and second outerflanges 42, 43 provided to both ends 41 a, 41 b of the opening. One ofthe ends 41 a is positioned near a corner between the outer side wallsection 36 and the inner lower wall section 37. The other end 41 b ispositioned near a corner between the outer upper wall section 35 and theouter side wall section 36. The first outer flange 42 (i.e., the firstflange 42) extends from the end 41 a of the outer panel body 41 towardsthe outside of the vehicle body 10. A distal end of the first outerflange 42 is positioned away from the corner between the outer side wallsection 36 and the inner lower wall section 37. The second outer flange43 (i.e., the second flange 43) extends from the other end 41 b of theouter panel body 41, along the outer upper wall section 35, towards thepassenger compartment 34.

The inner panel 29 is, for example, a folded molded article made of asteel plate, formed so as to enclose a lower section of the hollowmember 25. The inner panel 29 comprises an inner panel body 45, arestricting section 46, a first inner flange 47, and a second innerflange 48. As shown in FIG. 1, a lower front section of the inner panel29 is joined to a lower inner panel 29A projecting upright from a lowersection of the vehicle body 10. The lower inner panel 29A functions tolink the lower section of the vehicle body 10 to the lower front sectionof the front pillar 18 as a part of a “front pillar undersection.”

As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the inner panel body 45 comprises a flatplate that is overlapped with and joined to the passengercompartment-side wall section 27, and a predetermined welding position64 (i.e., a welding section 64) is welded to the inner lower wallsection 37. The restricting section 46 extends upwards from an end 45 aof the inner panel body 45 towards the outside in the vehicle widthdirection, following the corner between the outer side wall section 36and the inner lower wall section 37. A top end 46 a of the upwardextension is provided with the first inner flange 47. The restrictingsection 46 overlaps with a lower section 36 a of the outer side wallsection 36 up to a predetermined height.

The first inner flange 47 (i.e., a first flange 47) extends from the topend 46 a of the restricting section 46 so as to lie along a lowersurface of the first outer flange 42 of the outer panel 28. The firstinner flange 47 is caused to overlap with the first outer flange 42 ofthe outer panel 28 from below, and is joined by direct spot welding. Theflanges 42, 47 thus integrated by joining are capable of functioning asa member for reinforcing the hollow member 25. As a result, thestiffness of the front pillar 18 is increased.

The integrated flanges 42, 47 form a rim section 52 of the door opening23. The rim section 52 functions as a seal attachment section forattaching a sealing material 53. The rim section 52 shall hereafter bereferred to as a seal attachment section 52. The sealing material 53 isa material for sealing between the door opening 23 and a side door 51when the door opening 23 is closed by the side door 51. Since theflanges 42, 47 are integrated, the stiffness of the seal attachmentsection 52 is increased. The sealing material 53 can be adequatelysupported by the seal attachment section 52 having a high stiffness.

The second outer flange 43 of the outer panel 28 is caused to overlapwith the outer upper wall section 35 of the hollow member 25, and isjoined by indirect spot welding. The second inner flange 48 of the innerpanel 29 is caused to overlap with the inner side wall section 38 of thehollow member 25, and is joined by MIG welding (metal inert gaswelding). The second outer flange 43 and the second inner flange 48 areprovided separately to the hollow member 25. Therefore, there is no needto join the second outer flange 43 and the second inner flange 48 so asto overlap each other. The size of each of the outer panel 28 and theinner panel 29 can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the extentto which the second outer flange 43 and the second inner flange 48 donot overlap. Therefore, the weight of the front pillar 18 can bereduced.

The second inner flange 48 (i.e., a second flange 48) extends upwardsfrom an end 45 b of the inner panel body 45 towards the inside in thevehicle width direction so as to lie along the inner side wall section38. The second inner flange 48 overlaps the inner side wall section 38up to half the height of the inner side wall section 38. The secondinner flange 48 is positioned relative to the inner side wall section 38so that a predetermined space S is provided therebetween.

The second inner flange 48 has a plurality of joint sections 57 providedto an upper end portion 48 a. The joint sections 57 are sections atwhich the second inner flange 48 projects towards the inner side wallsection 38 so as to contact and join the inner side wall section 38. Thejoint sections 57 are arranged at a predetermined pitch along thelongitudinal direction of the hollow member 25, and an upper end 65(i.e., a welding section 65) of each of the joint sections 57 is joinedby MIG welding to the inner side wall section 38.

The inner panel body 45, the restricting section 46, and the secondinner flange 48 form a restricting concave section 61. The restrictingconcave section 61 is a concave section in which a part 25 a; i.e., alower section 25 a, of the hollow member 25 can be fitted andaccommodated. The lower section 25 a of the hollow member 25 issandwiched between the restricting section 46 and the joint sections 57.The hollow member 25 is restricted from undergoing relative displacementin the vehicle width direction relative to the inner panel 29. Thehollow member 25 is therefore reinforced by the inner panel 29. As aresult, the stiffness of the hollow member 25 can be increased.Therefore, an impact load acting on a front end of the hollow member 25can be transmitted to a rear section of the vehicle body 10 in anefficient manner.

Next, an example of welding the front pillar 18 will be described withreference to FIG. 6. The first outer flange 42 and the first innerflange 47 are joined by spot welding as follows. Each of the overlappedflanges 42, 47 is shaped so as to extend away from the hollow member 25,and is outwardly exposed. As a result, the flanges 42, 47 can besandwiched between a pair of electrodes 71, 72, and joining by directspot welding can therefore be performed. The flanges 42, 47 in a stateof overlapping each other are sandwiched by a pair of electrodes 71, 72.Next, an electrical current is supplied between the electrodes 71, 72,thereby joining the flanges 42, 47 by direct spot welding.

The outer upper wall section 35 and the second outer flange 43 arejoined by spot welding as shall now be described. An electrode 73 ispressed against the second outer flange 43 in a state in which thesecond outer flange 43 overlaps the outer upper wall section 35. Next,an electrical current is supplied between the electrode 73 and the outerupper wall section 35, thereby joining the electrode 73 to the outerupper wall section 35 by indirect spot welding. The joining step doesnot require the second outer flange 43 and the outer upper wall section35 overlapping each other to be sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.Therefore, there is no need to insert an electrode into the hollowmember 25 and press the electrode against an inner surface of the hollowmember 25.

The inner side wall section 38 and the second inner flange 48 are joinedby MIG welding as shall now be described. In a state in which the secondinner flange 48 overlaps the inner side wall section 38, a welding wire75 is positioned in proximity with the second inner flange 48, thewelding wire 75 is used as an electrode, and the second inner flange 48is joined to the inner side wall section 38 by MIG welding. Bypositioning the welding wire 75, which functions as the electrode, inproximity with the second inner flange 48 as described above, it ispossible to join the second inner flange 48 to the inner side wallsection 38. There is no need for a step for inserting an electrode intothe hollow member 25, or for a step for pressing the inserted electrodeagainst an inner surface of the hollow member 25. By employing weldingmeans suitable for the configuration of each joint section as describedabove, a step for joining by welding can be performed in an efficientmanner; therefore, the capacity for mass production of the front pillar18 can be improved.

A wall thickness dimension T1 of the hollow member 25 is relativelylarge, and a plate thickness dimension T2 of the inner flange 29 islarger than a plate thickness dimension T3 of the outer flange 28.Therefore, the second inner flange 48 is joined to the hollow member 25by MIG welding. Therefore, the second inner flange 48 can be joined morefirmly to the hollow member 25, and the stiffness of the front pillar 18can be further increased.

The inner lower wall section 37 and a center portion 45 of the innerpanel 29 (i.e., the inner panel body 45) are joined by MIG welding asshall now be described. In a state in which the inner panel body 45overlaps the inner lower wall section 37, a welding wire 76 is placed inproximity with the inner panel 29 with a laser being jointly used. Next,the welding wire 76 is moved along the welding section 64, the weldingposition 64 is caused to melt onto the inner lower wall section 37, andthe inner panel body 45 is joined to the inner lower wall section 37. Inother words, the welding position 64 is caused to melt onto the innerlower wall section 37 when such MIG welding is performed, for whichreason it is known as “penetrating MIG welding.” By using MIG welding tojoin the inner panel body 45 to the inner lower wall section 37, thestiffness of the front pillar 18 can be further increased. It therebybecomes possible to support an impact load acting on the front pillar18, even when a relative large load is acting, such as in a case of anoffset collision.

Next, an example of an impact load acting on the front pillar 18 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7. When the automobile Am collideshead-on with an oncoming vehicle Ao (or an obstacle Ao), an impact loadF1 acts on a center of the front bumper beam 15. Also, when theautomobile Am experiences an offset collision with an oncoming vehicleAo, an impact load F2 acts on the front bumper beam 15 at a positionoffset from the center. A part of the impact load F1, F2 is transmittedas an impact load F3 to the front pillar 18 from the front bumper beam15 through the right upper arm 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hollow member 25 has a curved shape, theentirety of which projects to the outside of the vehicle body 10. Whenthe impact load F3 acts on the front end of the hollow member 25 asindicated by an arrow, tensile stress is generated in the vehicleexterior-side wall section 26 of the hollow member 25, and compressivestress is generated in the passenger compartment-side wall section 27 ofthe hollow member 25. In other words, the impact load F3 acts so as tobend the hollow member 25 towards the exterior of the vehicle body.

According to the first embodiment, the inner panel 29 is overlapped withand joined to the passenger compartment-side wall section 27 of thehollow member 25 as shown in FIG. 5, thereby reinforcing the hollowmember 25. As a result, the stiffness of the hollow member 25 isincreased. Therefore, the hollow member 25 can transmit the impact loadF3 to the rear section of the vehicle body 10 in an efficient manner.Also, there is no need to increase the overall thickness or the wallthickness of the hollow member 25 in order to increase the stiffness ofthe hollow member 25. Therefore, an increase in the weight of the frontpillar 18 can be minimized, and the size of the front pillar 180 can bereduced. Reducing the size of the front pillar 18 expands the visualfield from the passenger compartment.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

Next, a vehicle body 10A of an automobile Am according to a secondembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 through 17. Thevehicle body 10A according to the second embodiment has a configurationthat is essentially the same as that of the vehicle body 10 according tothe first embodiment. A description of the vehicle body 10A will now begiven.

FIGS. 8 through 11 show a right front pillar 18A as viewed from a sidefacing a passenger compartment 34 (see FIG. 1). The front pillar 18Aaccording to the second embodiment comprises a hollow member 131, anouter panel 132, and an inner panel 133. The front pillar 18A has aconfiguration that is essentially the same as that of the front pillar18 according to the first embodiment. The hollow member 131 has aconfiguration that is essentially the same as that of the hollow member25 according to the first embodiment. The outer panel 132 has aconfiguration that is essentially the same as that of the outer panel 28according to the first embodiment. The inner panel 133 has aconfiguration that is essentially the same as that of the inner panel 29according to the first embodiment.

The front pillar 18A has a curved shape, the entirety of which projectsto the outside of the vehicle body 10A. Therefore, each of the hollowmember 131, the outer panel 132, and the inner panel 133 has a curvedshape, the entirety of which projects to the outside of the vehicle body10A. Specifically, the overall shape of the front pillar 18A is a curvethat projects upward, and outward in the vehicle width direction, of thevehicle body 10A.

The hollow member 131 is a long material that functions as a corematerial of the front pillar 18A, and a front end section 131 c isjoined to a rear end section 13 a of the right upper arm 13. The hollowmember 131 is made from, for example, a steel material, and isintegrally formed by hydroforming so as to have a substantiallyrectangular closed cross-section. In other words, the hollow member 131is made of a rectangular pipe. In the second embodiment, substantiallyrectangular refers to a rectangle, a square, or another quadrilateral.

The hollow member 131 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape bya wall section 131 a towards a vehicle exterior side (i.e., a vehicleexterior-side wall section 131 a) and a wall section 131 b towards thepassenger compartment 34 (i.e., a passenger compartment-side wallsection 131 b). The outer panel 132 is positioned so as to surround thevehicle exterior-side wall section 131 a, and is joined to the vehicleexterior-side wall section 131 a. The inner panel 133 is positioned soas to surround the passenger compartment-side wall section 131 b, and isjoined to the passenger compartment-side wall section 131 b.

As shown in FIG. 12, a front fender 129 is attached to an outer surfaceof the outer panel 132 by a bolt 127 and a nut 128. The front fender 129is a vehicle body exterior member. An inner surface of the outer panel132 is reinforced by a stiffener 134.

As shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, a front section 135 of the inner panel133 extends downwards. The front section 135 extending downwards shallbe referred to as a lower panel section 135. An upper end portion 135 aof the lower panel section 135 is joined to a front end section 131 c ofthe hollow member 131. A front end portion 135 b of the lower panelsection 135 is joined to a front end portion 132 a of the outer panel132. A rear end portion 135 c of the lower panel section 135 is joinedto a rear end portion 132 b of the outer panel 132. A lower end portion135 d of the lower panel section 135 is joined to a lower inner panel29A (see FIG. 9).

The lower panel section 135 also has an opening section 126 and astepped bead 138, provided to a substantially center portion 135 e. Eachof the opening section 126 and the stepped bead 138 is positioneddownward of the hollow member 131. The stepped bead 138 is a portionthat bulges from the inner panel 133 towards the passenger compartment34. Specifically, the stepped bead 138 has a substantially triangularshape formed by three fold sections, namely a lower fold section 141, afront fold section 142, and an upper fold section 143, as shown in FIGS.9 through 12. Providing the stepped bead 138 to the lower panel section135 makes it possible to increase the stiffness of the lower panelsection 135.

The lower fold section 141 extends from the lower panel section 135 ofthe lower panel section 135 towards the rear of the vehicle body at apositive incline of angle θ (see FIG. 9) so as to gradually approach thehollow member 131. Forming the lower fold section 141 on the lower panelsection 135 forms a substantially linear ridge line 141 a on the lowerpanel section 135.

The front fold section 142 extends downwards on the lower panel section135 from a vicinity of the upper end portion 135 a down to a front endportion 141 b of the lower fold section 141. Forming the front foldsection 142 on the lower panel section 135 forms a substantially linearridge line 142 a on the lower panel section 135.

The upper fold section 143 is located upward of the lower fold section141. The upper fold section 143 extends, on the lower panel section 135,from an upper end portion 142 b of the front fold section 142 to avicinity of a rear end section 141 b of the lower fold section 141,along the hollow member 131. The upper fold section 143 is a fold formedby a vicinity of the upper end portion 135 a of the lower panel section135 bulging along the hollow member 131 towards the passengercompartment 34, as shown in FIG. 11

The opening section 126 is formed on the lower panel section 135 in avicinity of the front end portion 135 b and downward of the front endsection 131 c, and penetrates the lower panel section 135 in the vehiclewidth direction. The opening section 126 is positioned so as to as tospan the lower fold section 141 of the stepped bead 138. When the innerpanel 133 is viewed from a side facing the passenger compartment 34, theopening section 126 is substantially rectangular in shape. An upper halfsection 145 of the opening section 126 is positioned on the stepped bead138. A lower half section 146 of the opening section 126 is positionedon a portion 139 downward of the stepped bead 138 (i.e., a below-beadportion 139).

As shown in FIGS. 9 through 12, a rim 126 a of the opening section 126is surrounded by a stepped section 148 for reinforcement. The steppedsection 148 bulges from the lower panel section 135 outwards in thevehicle width direction. In other words, the stepped section 148 isindented relative to the stepped bead 138 by a depth dimension U1, andindented relative to the below-bead portion 139 by a depth dimension U2.Providing the stepped section 148 in the vicinity of the rim 126 a ofthe opening section 126 forms a substantially rectangular ridge line 148a on the lower panel section 135. By providing the stepped section 148to the rim 126 a of the opening section 126, the stiffness of the lowerpanel section 135 around the rim 126 a can thus be increased. As aresult, the stiffness of the front pillar 18A can be increased.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, providing the lower fold section 141 to thelower panel section 135 causes the stepped bead 138 to bulge from thebelow-bead portion 139 towards the passenger compartment 34 by adimension H1. Therefore, the stiffness of the lower panel section 135can be increased. As a result, the stiffness of the front pillar 18A canbe increased.

According to the second embodiment, the roof 22 shown in FIG. 1 isprovided with a sunroof (not shown). Although not shown, a drain grooveis provided to a support frame for supporting the sunroof on the roof22. Rainwater falling on the sunroof flows through the drain groove intoa drain hose 124. The drain hose 124 discharges the rainwater to apredetermined location outside the vehicle body 10A. The drain hose 124is a type of flexible linear member. The drain hose 124 is passedthrough an interior of the hollow member 131 and pulled out through theopening section 126 formed on the inner panel 133 (see FIG. 9) towardsthe passenger compartment 34. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 9 and12, the opening section 126 is an opening for drawing the drain hose 124that has been drawn out from the front end section 131 c of the hollowmember 131.

As described above, the opening section 126 is positioned so as to spanthe lower fold section 141. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, thestepped section 148 is provided in the vicinity of the rim 126 a of theopening section 126. The rim 126 a of the opening section 126 isconfigured so that an upper portion 126 b bulges towards the passengercompartment 34 by a dimension H2 (i.e., an opening gradation H2) from alower portion 126 c. Therefore, the drain hose 124 pulled out of thefront end section 131 c of the hollow member 131 can be readily pulledout through the opening section 126 by using the opening gradation H2.

A process of pulling the drain hose 124 out of the front pillar 18A isas follows. First, as shown in FIG. 13, a drain hose 124 that has beenpassed through the hollow member 131 is pulled out through the front endsection 131 c of the hollow member 131 as shown by arrow A1. Then, asshown in FIG. 14, the drain hose 124 is guided along the stepped bead138 to the opening section 126 as shown by arrow A2, then pulled outthrough the opening section 126 towards the passenger compartment 34using the opening gradation H2 as shown by arrow A3. Then, as shown inFIG. 15, the drain hose 124 is pulled along a direction shown by arrowA4, and a distal end section 124 a of the drain hose 124 is positionedin a predetermined location. This completes the process of pulling outthe drain hose 124.

Next, an example of an impact load acting on the front pillar 18A willbe described. As shown in FIG. 16, when the automobile Am collideshead-on with an oncoming vehicle Ao, an impact load F1 acts on a centerof the front bumper beam 15. A part of the impact load F1 is transmittedas an impact load F3 to the front pillar 18A from the front bumper beam15 through the right upper arm 13.

According to the second embodiment, the stepped bead 138 is formed as atriangle so that the lower fold section 141 inclines upwards towards therear of the vehicle body so as to gradually approach the hollow member131, as shown in FIG. 17. As a result the stiffness of the lower panelsection 135 can be increased. Therefore, the hollow member 131, thelower panel section 135, and the stepped bead 138 can transmit a part ofthe impact load F3 acting on the front pillar 18A to the rear section ofthe vehicle body 10A in an efficient manner.

THIRD EMBODIMENT

Next, a vehicle body 10B of an automobile Am according to a thirdembodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 through 37. Thevehicle body 10B according to the third embodiment has a configurationthat is essentially the same as that of the vehicle body 10 according tothe first embodiment. A description of the vehicle body 10B will now begiven.

As shown in FIG. 18, a front section of the vehicle body 10B has a basicconfiguration that is essentially the same as that of the vehicle body10 according to the first embodiment. Left and right front pillars 17B,18B respectively have a configuration that is essentially the same asthat of the left and right front pillars 17, 18 according to the firstembodiment. In other words, each of the left and right front pillars17B, 18B extends at an incline rearwards and upwards from a rear end ofthe left and right upper frames 13, 13 respectively, and forms a part ofa door opening 223 that is opened or closed by a side door. A windshield215 (i.e., a windscreen 215) is mounted between the left and right frontpillars 17B, 18B. Left and right roof side rails 21, 21 respectivelyextend rearwards from a rear end of each of the left and right frontpillars 17B, 18B. The roof 22 is supported by the left and right roofside rails 21, 21.

The left and right front pillars 17B, 18B are members that arebilaterally symmetrical to each other. A description will be givenhereafter for the right front pillar 18B only; a description for theleft front pillar 17B will be omitted. The right front pillar 18B willhereafter be referred to simply as the front pillar 18B.

The automobile Am is provided with a side curtain airbag device 234. Theside curtain airbag device 234 deploys a side curtain airbag 235 along aside wall of the passenger compartment 34, based on informationregarding the state of the automobile Am.

FIG. 19 shows the right front pillar 18B when the vehicle body 10B isviewed from the right side. FIG. 20 shows a state in which an outerpanel 217 has been removed from the front pillar 18B shown in FIG. 19.FIG. 21 shows the right front pillar 18B as viewed from the side facingthe passenger compartment 34. FIG. 22 shows a cross section along line22-22 in FIG. 18, in other words, a cross section of a portion of thefront pillar 18B that supports the windshield 215.

As shown in FIGS. 19 through 22, the front pillar 18B comprises a hollowmember 253, an outer panel 217, and an inner panel 218. As shown in FIG.18, a lower front section of the inner panel 218 is joined to a lowerinner panel 232 projecting upright from a lower section of the vehiclebody 10B. The lower inner panel 232 functions to link the lower sectionof the vehicle body 10B to a lower front section of the front pillar 18Bas part of a “front pillar undersection.”

The front pillar 18B has a curved shape, the entirety of which projectsto an outside of the vehicle body 10B. Therefore, each of the hollowmember 253, the outer panel 217, and the inner panel 218 has a curvedshape, the entirety of which projects to the outside of the vehicle body10B. Specifically, the overall shape of the front pillar 18B is a curvethat projects upward, and outward in the vehicle width direction, of thevehicle body 10B.

The hollow member 253 is a long material that functions as a corematerial of the front pillar 18B, and a front end is joined to a rearend section 13 a of the right upper arm 13. The hollow member 253 ismade from, for example, a steel material, and is integrally formed byhydroforming so as to have a substantially rectangular closedcross-section. In other words, the hollow member 253 is made of arectangular pipe. In the third embodiment, substantially rectangularrefers to a rectangle, a square, or another quadrilateral.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the hollow member 253 is formed by foursides, namely four wall sections 261 through 264, so as to have arectangular cross section. The four wall sections 261 through 264 are aninner lower wall section 261 located at a bottom, an outer wall section262 located at an outside in the vehicle width direction, an inner wallsection 263 located on at inside in the vehicle width direction, and anouter upper wall section 264 located at a top.

As shown in FIG. 22, the outer panel 217 is, for example, a foldedmolded article made of a steel plate, and comprises an outer panel body281, a first outer flange 282, and a second outer flange 275. The outerpanel body 281 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, opens towardsthe outside wall section 262, and has the first and second outer flanges282, 275 provided to both ends of the opening. The first outer flange282 (i.e., a first flange 282) is positioned near a corner between theinner lower wall section 261 and the outer wall section 262. A distalend of the first outer flange 282 is positioned away from the cornerbetween the inner lower wall section 261 and the outer wall section 262.

The second outer flange 275 (i.e., a second flange) extends along theouter upper wall section 264 to a vicinity of a corner between the outerupper wall section 264 and the inner wall section 263. A windshield 215is attached to an upper surface of the second outer flange 275 with asealing member (not shown) interposed therebetween. In other words, thesecond outer flange 275 functions as a windshield attachment section(i.e., a window frame). The second outer flange 275 will hereafter bereferred to as a windshield attachment section 275 or a windshieldattachment flange section 275 as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 22, the inner panel 218 is, for example, a foldedmolded article made of a steel plate, formed so as to enclose a lowersection of the hollow member 253. The inner panel 218 comprises an innerpanel body 266, a first inner flange 268, and a second inner flange 267.

As shown in FIGS. 20 through 22, the inner panel body 266 comprises aflat plate that overlaps and is joined to the inner lower wall section261. The first inner flange 268 extends from an end of the inner panelbody 266 on the outside in the vehicle width direction so as to liealong a lower surface of the first outer flange 282 of the outer panel217. The first inner flange 268 overlaps with and joins to the firstouter flange 282 of the outer panel 217 from below. The flanges 268, 282thus integrated by joining are capable of functioning as a member forreinforcing the hollow member 253. As a result, the stiffness of thefront pillar 18B is increased. The integrated flanges 268, 282 form arim section 245 of the door opening 223. The rim section 245 functionsas a seal attachment section for attaching a sealing material 53 (seeFIG. 22). The rim section 245 shall hereafter be referred to as a sealattachment section 245.

The second outer flange 275 of the outer panel 217 is caused to overlapthe outer upper wall section 264 of the hollow member 253, and is joinedby indirect spot welding. The second inner flange 267 of the inner panel218 is caused to overlap inner wall section 263 of the hollow member253, and is joined by MIG welding. Therefore, the second outer flange275 and the second inner flange 267 are joined separately, and no notneed to be joined so as to overlap each other. The size of each of theouter panel 217 and the inner panel 218 can be reduced by an amountcorresponding to the extent to which the second outer flange 275 and thesecond inner flange 267 do not overlap. Therefore, the weight of thefront pillar 18B can be reduced.

The second outer flange 275 shown in FIG. 22 and the second outer flange275 shown in FIG. 23 will now be compared and described. The secondouter flange 275 shown in FIG. 23 extends further towards the passengercompartment 34 than the hollow member 253 so that a flange section 287of the roof 22 can be joined by direct spot welding. Joining cantherefore be readily performed.

Meanwhile, the second outer flange 275 shown in FIG. 22 also functionsas the windshield attachment section 275 for attaching the windshield215. In other words, the windshield attachment section 275 is only usedfor attaching the windshield 215, and therefore does not need to extendtowards the passenger compartment 34. Since the windshield attachmentsection 275 does not extend towards the passenger compartment 34, thevisibility range forwards of the vehicle body from a passengercompartment (i.e., the visual field) through the windshield 215 islarger by a corresponding amount.

As described above, even through the hollow member 253 is used as thecore material for the front pillar 18B, the flange section 287 of theroof 22 can be readily and reliably joined to the front pillar 18B whilean adequate visibility range forward of the vehicle body from thepassenger compartment 34 is obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 24 through 27, the second inner flange 267 extendsupwards, from an end of the inner panel body 266 located inwards in thevehicle width direction, so as to lie along an inner wall section 263.The second inner flange 267 overlaps the inner wall section 263 up tohalf the height of the inner wall section 263. The second inner flange267 has a plurality of joint sections 293 provided to an upper end. Asshown in FIG. 26, the joint sections 293 are arranged at a predeterminedpitch P1 along the longitudinal direction of the hollow member 253, andare joined to the inner wall section 263 by MIG welding. A first weldedmetal section 292 at a portion where the joint sections 293 has beenwelded has a length Lw. The pitch P1 varies as appropriate depending onthe position of the joint.

A specific configuration of joining the inner panel body 266 to theinner lower wall section 261 shall now be described. As shown in FIGS.24 through 27, the inner panel body 266 has a plurality of through-holes294 for welding. As shown in FIG. 24, the through-holes 294 are arrangedat a predetermined pitch P2 along the longitudinal direction of thehollow member 253, and are joined to the inner lower wall section 261 byMIG welding. In other words, the inner panel body 266 is welded to theinner lower wall section 261 by a plurality of second welded metalsections 292 a. The pitch P2 varies as appropriate depending on theposition of the joint.

The first welded metal section 292 and the second welded metal sections292 a are elongated in the longitudinal direction of the hollow member253. Also, the first welded metal section 292 and the second weldedmetal sections 292 a are arranged along the longitudinal direction ofthe hollow member 253 in a staggered manner. Therefore, the strength atwhich the inner panel 218 joins the hollow member 253 can be furtherincreased.

In order to weld the inner panel 218 to the hollow member 253, thesecond inner flange 267 thus has a plurality of the joint sections 293provided to the upper end. Therefore, the joint formed by welding can bemade stronger than when the inner panel 218 is joined to the hollowmember 253 by spot welding. Therefore, the inner panel 218 can transmitloads acting on the 18 b in a reliable manner.

Also, as shown in FIG. 27, in order to weld the inner panel 218 to thehollow member 253, the inner panel body 266 is provided with thethrough-holes 294 for welding. Therefore, the joint formed by weldingcan be made stronger than when the inner panel 218 is joined to thehollow member 253 by spot welding. Therefore, the inner panel 218 cantransmit loads acting on the 18 b in a reliable manner.

FIG. 23 shows a cross section along line 23-23 in FIG. 18; i.e., a crosssection of a portion in which the roof side rail 21 is joined to theroof 22. The roof side rail 21 has a cross-sectional configuration thatis substantially the same as that of the front pillar 18B, and componentmembers that are identical are therefore affixed with identicalnumerals. In other word, the roof side rail 21 comprises the hollowmember 253, the outer panel 217, and the inner panel 218.

As shown in FIGS. 18, 21, and 23, the outer panel body 281 of the roofside rail 21 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, opens towardsthe outer wall section 262 and the outer upper wall section 264, and hasthe first and second outer flanges 282, 275 provided to both ends of theopening.

The first outer flange 282 has a configuration identical to that shownin FIG. 22. The two flanges 268, 282 are joined to each other by spotwelding. In other words, the two flanges 268, 282 in a state ofoverlapping each other are sandwiched by a pair of electrodes 401, 402.Next, an electrical current is supplied between the electrodes 401, 402,thereby joining the flanges 268, 282 by direct spot welding.

As can be seen from the above description, each of the overlappedflanges 268, 282 is shaped so as to extend away from the hollow member253 and is outwardly exposed. Each of the flanges 268, 282 can therebybe sandwiched between the pair of electrodes 401, 402, and can thereforebe joined by spot welding. Therefore, despite the hollow member 253being used for the core material of the roof side rail 21, thespecifications of the spot welding equipment can be substantiallyequivalent to those required conventionally, and it becomes possible tocontinue reducing the size of spot welding equipment. Also, since it ispossible to use regular spot welding electrodes to directly sandwich andpress the two flanges and perform spot welding, as a result, even thoughthe hollow member 253 is used, welding conditions required for spotwelding are substantially identical to those required conventionally,and spot welding can be readily performed.

The second outer flange 275 extend substantially horizontally towardsthe passenger compartment 34 from a vicinity of a corner between theinner wall section 263 and the outer upper wall section 264. The secondouter flange 275 (i.e., a roof-joining outer flange section 275) thusprotrudes further towards the passenger compartment 34 relative to thesealing material 53. The flange section 287 of the roof 22 is attachedto an upper surface of the second outer flange 275.

A roof-joining extended flange section 255 is interposed between theouter upper wall section 264 and the second outer flange 275. Theroof-joining extended flange section 255 comprises a substantiallyL-shaped base section 284 and an extended flange 286 continuing from thebase section 284. The L-shaped base section 284 is joined to both of theouter wall section 262 and the outer upper wall section 264. Joining theL-shaped base section 284 to the outer upper wall section 264 isoptional, and may be performed as appropriate.

The extended flange 286 is a horizontal flat plate extending from theL-shaped base section 284 towards the passenger compartment 34 along theouter upper wall section 264. The second outer flange 275 and the flangesection 287 of the roof 22 are sequentially overlapped on the extendedflange body 286. The three flanges 286, 275, 287 are joined to eachother by spot welding.

In other words, the roof 22 and the outer panel 217 are joined asfollows. The three flanges 286, 275, 287 in a state of overlapping eachother are sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 403, 404. Next, acurrent is supplied between the electrodes 403, 404, thereby joining theflanges 286, 275, 287 by direct spot welding.

As can be seen from the above description, the overlapped flanges 286,275, 287 are shaped so as to extend away from the hollow member 253, andare outwardly exposed. As a result, the flanges 286, 275, 287 can besandwiched between the electrodes 403, 404, and joining by direct spotwelding can therefore be performed. Therefore, even though the hollowmember 253 was used as a core material of the roof side rail 21, thespecifications of the spot welding equipment can be substantiallyequivalent to those required conditionally, and it becomes possible tocontinue reducing the size of spot welding equipment. Also, since it ispossible to use regular spot welding electrodes to directly sandwich andpress the three flanges and perform spot welding, as a result, eventhough the hollow member 253 is used, welding conditions required forspot welding are substantially identical to those requiredconventionally, and spot welding can be readily performed. The shape ofthe base section 284 is discretionary, and a method for welding the basesection 284 to the hollow member 253 is also discretionary.

As shown in FIG. 21 and FIGS. 28 through 32, the front pillar 18B isprovided with a support section 251 for supporting another member. Thesupport section 251 is capable of supporting, e.g., a main side curtainairbag body 235 shown in FIG. 18 on the front pillar 18B. In such acase, the support section 251 can attach a front portion 235 a, or apredetermined position in a longitudinal direction, of the main sidecurtain airbag body 235 to the front pillar 18B.

As shown in FIGS. 28 through 32, at portion of the front pillar 18having the airbag support section 251, a predetermined gap Cr isprovided between the inner lower wall section 261 and the inner panelbody 266. The airbag support section 251 comprises a plate nut 311. Theplate nut 311 is an integrally molded item comprising a plate section317 (i.e., a flange section 317) and a nut section 318. The plate nut311 is attached to another member by welding, and is therefore alsocalled a welded nut.

The plate section 317 is a flat plate that overlaps and is joined to theinner panel body 266, within the gap Cr. For example, as shown in FIG.30, the plate section 317 is joined to the inner panel body 266 by anugget 325. A nugget is a portion on a welded section that has meltedand set when the plate section 317 overlaps and is welded onto the innerpanel body 266. The nut section 318 is a cylinder extending from a platesurface of the plate section 317 towards the inner lower wall section261, and has a female thread penetrating within. The outer diameter D ofthe nut section 318 is smaller than the width Wp or the length Lp of theplate section 317, and is smaller than a minimum width of a regularhexagonal nut. The inner panel body 266 has a through-hole 323 providedcoaxially with a center line 324 through the nut section 318. Thethrough-hole 323 has a diameter that is larger than that of the femalethread in the nut section 318.

The inner lower wall section 261 is penetrated by a nut relief holesection 321 provided coaxially with the center line 324 through the nutsection 318. The nut relief hole section 321 is provided so as to bedisposed at an incline relative to the center line 324 through the nutsection 318, and so that a gap 6 is provided between an edge of the nutrelief hole section 321 and the nut section 318. Specifically, the nutrelief hole section 321 is inclined at an angle α relative to the centerline 324 of the nut section 318 so as to be oriented inwardly withrespect to the automobile 12. In other words, the nut relief holesection 321 is oriented towards a direction from which the inner panel218 having the plate nut 311 attached thereto is fitted onto the hollowmember 253.

In the plate nut 311 attached to the front pillar 18B, the nut section318 is capable of having a bolt (not shown) screwed thereinto. The mainside curtain airbag body 235 (FIG. 18) can be attached to the frontpillar 18B by the plate nut 311 and the bolt.

According to the second embodiment, the plate nut 311 is thus usedinstead of a hexagonal nut or another common nut. Furthermore, the nutrelief hole section 321 penetrated by the nut section 318 is formed onthe hollow member 253. Therefore, the nut relief hole section 321provided to the hollow member 253 can be made smaller than when a commonnut is used.

Also, the nut relief hole section 321 is provided at an incline relativeto the center line 324 through the nut section 318. Therefore, the sizeof the nut relief hole section 321 can be made smaller, despite therebeing provided a space 8 for preventing interference when the innerpanel 218 having the plate nut 311 attached thereto is fitted onto thehollow member 253.

As shown in FIGS. 33 through 35, the second outer flange 275 of thefront pillar 18B also functions as a windshield attachment section forattaching the windshield 215 (see FIG. 18).

As shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 32, a rear end section 224 and a front endsection 227 of the front pillar 18B require a higher stiffness than anintermediate section 228. Therefore, the rear end section 224 of thefront pillar 18B is reinforced by a rear section reinforcing member 243.Similarly, the front end section 227 of the front pillar 10B isreinforced by a front section reinforcing member 244.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 32, and 33, the rear section reinforcing member243 comprises a reinforcing section 351 joined to a hollow material, anda reinforcing section 352 sandwiched between and joined to the inner andouter panels. The reinforcing section 351 joined to a hollow material isjoined to the outer wall section 262 within a closed void section 331enclosed by the hollow member 253, the outer panel 217, and the innerpanel 218. The reinforcing section 352 sandwiched between and joined tothe inner and outer panels is interposed between the first outer flange282 of the outer panel 217 and the first inner flange 268 of the innerpanel 218. The three members 282, 268, 351 are overlapped with eachother and joined to each other by spot welding.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 32, and 33, the front section reinforcing member244 has a configuration similar to that of the rear section reinforcingmember 243. In other words, the front section reinforcing member 244comprises a reinforcing section 357 joined to a hollow material and areinforcing section 358 sandwiched between and joined to the inner andouter panels. The reinforcing section 357 joined to a hollow material isjoined to the outer wall section 262 within a closed void section 331.The reinforcing section 358 sandwiched between and joined to the innerand outer panels is interposed between the first outer flange 282 of theouter panel 217 and the first inner flange 268 of the inner panel 218.The three members 282, 268, 358 are overlapped with each other andjoined to each other by spot welding. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, thefront section reinforcing member 244 has a joint section 361 provided toa front end section. The joint section 361 is joined to the lower innerpanel 232 and an upper section of a dashboard (not shown).

The hollow member 253 is thus sandwiched and reinforced by the rearsection reinforcing member 243 or the front section reinforcing member244 and the inner panel 218 from both left and right sides. Therefore,as shown in FIG. 33, the wall thickness t1 of the hollow member 253, thewall thickness t2 of the outer panel 217, and the wall thickness t3 ofthe inner panel 218 can be made smaller along the entirety of the frontpillar 18B. Furthermore, the height h1 and the width h2 of the hollowmember 253 can be made smaller. The thickness of the front pillar 18Bcan be dramatically reduced while ensuring an adequate stiffness of thefront pillar 18B is obtained.

The wall thickness t2 of the outer panel 217, and the wall thickness t3of the inner panel 218, the wall thickness t4 of the rear sectionreinforcing member 243, and the wall thickness t4 of the front sectionreinforcing member 244 are larger than the wall thickness t1 of thehollow member 253. In other words, a relationship t1<t2<t3<t4 is valid.The stiffness of the front pillar 18B can therefore be furtherincreased.

As shown in FIGS. 21, 32, and 34, in the door opening 223 of the frontpillar 18B, the seal attachment section 245 has a plurality of gapchannels 347. In the front pillar 18B, the gap channels 347 are arrangedat a pitch Ph along a range Lh between the rear section reinforcingmember 243 and the front section reinforcing member 244. Specifically, asection of a flange surface 268 a (see FIG. 34) of the first innerflange 268 of the inner panel 218 within the range Lh has an unevenshape. A concave part of the flange surface 268 a has depth E. Theuneven section of the flange surface 268 a has a plurality of voidsprovided between the flange surface 268 a and the first outer flange 282of the outer panel 217. The voids form the gap channels 347. The depthof the gap channels 347 corresponds to the depth E of the concave partof the flange surface 268 a.

As described above, the gap channels 347 are gaps that are formed so asto have a concave shape by plastic forming performed on the sealattachment section 245. Therefore, a large number of gap channels 347(gaps 347) can be provided along the range Lh. Also, the flanges 268,282 are joined to each other between adjacent gap channels 347. Thejoined portion is referred to as an inter-channel joint section 346. Thepresence of the inter-channel joint section 346 makes it possible toensure that the stiffness of the front pillar 18B is adequate, eventhough the seal attachment section 245 is provided with the gap channels347.

As shown in FIG. 34, each of the gap channels 347 functions as a channelbetween the closed void section 331 and an exterior, and is used whenperforming surface treatment on the front pillar 18B. Specifically, whena surface treatment is performed on the front pillar 18B, the frontpillar 18B is immersed in an electrodeposition liquid stored in a liquidtank. The electrodeposition liquid in the liquid tank flows through thegap channels 347 and into the void section 331 as shown by arrows b1,b2. The amount of the electrodeposition liquid that flows is sufficientfor coating a wall surface of the front pillar 18B within the voidsection 331. Therefore, the wall surface of the front pillar 18B withinthe void section 331 is sufficiently coated by the inflowingelectrodeposition liquid.

As shown in FIGS. 33 and 35 through 37, at a front end 372 (i.e., aterminal section 372) of the hollow member 253, the outer upper wallsection 264 is indented towards the inner lower wall section 261 (seeFIG. 22). The indented section 173 is referred to as a first concavesection 373. The first concave section 373 is located lower than anupper surface of the outer upper wall section 264. In other words, thefirst concave section 373 is set apart below the upper surface of theouter upper wall section 264 by a distance corresponding to the downwardindentation.

As shown in FIGS. 35 through 37, a rear end of the front sectionreinforcing member 244 has an upper end portion that is folded towardsthe passenger compartment 34. The folded portion 355 is referred to asan upper flange 355. The upper flange 355 is a flat plate. An uppersurface of the upper flange 355 is on a same level as (i.e., is coplanarwith) an upper surface of the outer upper wall section 264 of the hollowmember 253.

A rear end portion 356 (i.e., a joint portion 356) of the upper flange355 is located above the first concave section 373. Also, the rear endportion 356 is indented so as to overlap the first concave section 373from above. The indented portion 356 is referred to as a second concaveportion 356. The rear end portion 356 is disposed further downwardsfrom, and separated from, the upper surface of the outer upper wallsection 264.

As described above, the wall thickness t4 of the front sectionreinforcing member 244 shown in FIG. 33 is larger than the wallthickness t1 of the hollow member 253, making it difficult to apply spotwelding. Since the wall thickness t4 of the front section reinforcingmember 244 is large, the first concave section 373 can overlap and beadequately joined to the second concave section 374 by fillet welding.In other words, the thickness t1 of the hollow member 253 and thethickness t4 of the front section reinforcing member 244 are ideal forjoining using MIG welding. Fillet welding forms a welded section 376having an adequate joint strength. Also, since the thickness t4 of thefront section reinforcing member 244 is large, the terminal section 372of the hollow member 253 can be adequately reinforced.

Meanwhile, as described above, the second outer flange 275 of the outerpanel 217 is a flat plate portion extending along the upper surface ofthe outer upper wall section 264 to the upper flange 355 of the frontsection reinforcing member 244. Therefore, the windshield attachmentsection 275 (i.e., the windshield attachment flange section 275) isdisposed so as to extend from the hollow member 253 to the lower sectionreinforcing member 244, and the windshield attachment section 275 andthe front section reinforcing member 244 are overlapped with and joinedto each other. The windshield attachment section 275 is located higherthan the first and second concave sections 373, 376. Therefore, thewindshield attachment section 275 does not interfere with the first andsecond concave sections 373, 376. Also, the windshield attachmentsection 275 does not interfere with the welded section 376. Therefore,the windshield attachment section 275 can be made to have a flatconfiguration across its entirety. The windshield 215 (see FIG. 18) canbe readily and reliably attached to the flat windshield attachmentsection 275 using an adhesive or another common method of attachment,and the state of the attachment can be maintained to a sufficientdegree.

According to the present invention, instead of a substantiallyrectangular shape, the hollow member 25 may have a pentagonal or anotherpolygonal closed section, or a circular cross section, as long as aclosed cross section is present.

In the second embodiment, the drain hose 124 was described as an exampleof a flexible linear member that is pulled out of the opening section126 of the front pillar 18A. However, this is not intended to limit thescope of the invention, and another flexible linear member such as awire harness may also be pulled out of the opening section 126.

Also, in the second embodiment, the stepped section 148 formed aroundthe rim 126 a of the opening section 126 may be configured so as tobulge towards the passenger compartment 34 from the lower panel section135, instead of bulging outwards in the vehicle width direction from thelower panel section 135.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is suitable for an automobile having a frontpillar 18, 18A, 18B in which an inner panel 29, 133, 218 is provided toa hollow member 25, 131, 253.

LEGEND

-   10, 10A, 10B Vehicle body-   15, 215 Windscreen-   18, 18A, 18B Front pillar-   22 Roof-   25, 131, 253 Hollow member-   26, 131 a, 262, 264 Wall section on vehicle exterior side-   27, 131 b, 261, 263 Wall section on passenger compartment side-   28, 132, 217 Outer panel-   29, 133, 218 Inner panel-   34 Passenger compartment-   45 Seal attachment section-   52, 24547 Gap channels-   61 Restricting concave section-   243 Rear section reinforcing member-   244 Front section reinforcing member-   275 windshield attachment section (roof-joining outer flange    section)-   311 Void section-   Am Automobile

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A front pillar for an automobile, including: anouter panel contiguous to a roof of a vehicle body, supporting awindshield, and facing outside the vehicle body; an inner panel facing apassenger compartment; a hollow member disposed between the outer paneland the inner panel; an inner flange of the outer panel joined to anupper wall section of the hollow member; an inner flange of the innerpanel joined to an inner wall section of the hollow member contiguous tothe upper wall section and facing the passenger compartment; and aclosed void section and a seal attachment section that are formed byoverlapping an outer flange of the outer panel and an outer flange ofthe inner panel at a position adjacent to an outer wall section of thehollow member, wherein the seal attachment section includes a rearsection reinforcing member and a front section reinforcing membersandwiched between the outer flanges of the outer and inner panels in arear end section and a front end section, respectively, of the frontpillar, and a gap channel formed to communicate with the closed voidsection by partially separating the outer flanges of the outer and innerpanels at a position located between the rear section reinforcing memberand the front section reinforcing member, and wherein the reinforcingmembers are joined to the outer wall section of the hollow member. 21.The front pillar according to claim 20, wherein the gap channel is a gapformed so as to have a concave shape by plastic forming performed on asurface of at least one of the outer flanges of the outer and innerpanels.